Chileans expected to elect Bachelet

Chile is set to move moderately to the left in elections Sunday, with popular ex-President Michelle Bachelet virtually certain to win a return to power. Bachelet has pledged to confront inequality by increasing taxes and putting cash into education and health, as well as rewriting the country’s dictatorship-era constitution. Although voters are cool to both Bachelet’s leftist Nueva Mayoria (New Majority) coalition and the incumbent conservative Alianza (Alliance) bloc, Bachelet herself enjoys strong approval ratings. One recent poll suggested Bachelet may win the 50 percent she needs for a first-round victory over Alianza’s Evelyn Matthei and seven other candidates, which is not been done in 20 years. If there is no outright winner on Sunday, the two front-runners proceed to a run-off election on December 15.